As you all know, space is one of the most valuable aspects of our homes.
The internet is filled with tips, tricks and “lifehacks” to save space and help you make the most of your existing space.
One of the most popular tips is to stack your tumble dryer on top of your washing machine.
This lets you save a ton of space by essentially freeing up a dryer sized chunk of room which you can either use for something else, or just have and enjoy.
Can this kind of stacking be safely done though?
You can safely stack your tumble dryer on top of your washing machine, in a variety of different ways. It is typical to stack the dryer on top, rather than the other way around. This lets you free up space in your laundry area, as well as making it efficient to unload the washing into the dryer.
So you know it can be done, but let’s look at how to do it, why you would want to and what you need.
Why Stack Your Appliances?
As I’ve already mentioned, there are a couple of good reasons why you would want to stack your dryer on top of your washing machine.
The major reason is space.
If you’re going from having your dryer on the floor, to stacking it on your washing machine, then you’re freeing up a fair bit of space in your kitchen or utility room.
This gives you space to maybe have your laundry hamper there, so that all your laundry stuff is in the one place, or it might just make you feel better to have slightly less clutter about the place (like myself).
Whatever the reason, more space is always a welcome upgrade to your home.
Another reason to do this is that it can make transferring loads from one appliance to the other more efficient.
This is especially true if your washing machine and dryer weren’t previously next to each other.
Now you can simply lift the clean washing up to the dryer without having to carry it somewhere else and risk dropping a sock that you find later.
So it seems pretty clear that if you’re able to stack your appliances, there’s basically no downside, so let’s look at how to do it.
How To Stack Your Appliances
There are a few considerations to think about when starting to stack appliances.
The first is to check the branding of both dryer and washer. If they are the same brand, then that makes this process a lot easier.
Many brands will have a stacking kit designed specifically to stack their appliances together.
If they’re not the same brand, don’t worry, there are universal stacking kits that can be used for mismatched appliances but this will also depend on the shapes and arrangement of drawers on your machines.
The other main point to remember is that the dryer should always be stacked on top of the washer.
Washing machines have concrete blocks in them, making them a whole lot heavier than the dryer, so the washing machines are best suited to stay on the bottom (not to mention it’s much harder to lift the washer than the dryer).
Whether your appliances are matching brands or not, you will need a stacking kit to assemble them.
These kits help secure the machines together to keep the stack safe.
They also allow the weight of the tumble dryer to be spread across the whole surface of the washing machine, keeping the arrangement more stable.
The kits are fairly simple to use and include a bracket that usually covers the top 2 cm of the washing machine and the bottom 2 cm of the dryer.
This means that dryers which have access panels with hinges on the bottom will be unsuitable for this kind of stacking.
Stacking with a stacking kit
Before you start anything, make sure that both the washer and dryer are disconnected from the mains.
You will also definitely want someone to help you with the lifting part of this as tumble dryers are still pretty heavy and not typically a one person task.
Next, remove the feet from the tumble dryer to allow you to slot the dryer into the bracket and lock it in place.
Make sure that the washing machine is sitting level before trying to put the dryer on top of it. Adjust the feet of the washing machine until it is level. If you have a spirit level then this will ensure it’s totally flat before you do anything else.
Attach the kit bracket to the washing machine, allowing a stage for the dryer to be lowered onto it.
This is the hard bit. With help, lift the dryer above the washing machine and lower it onto the bracket so that it sits within the lip of the bracket.
If the stacking kit comes with a belt, then you can use this to hold the appliances together (though this should be attached before the tumble dryer is placed on top).
Once the dryer is fitted securely on top of your washing machine, you can reconnect both appliances and run test cycles to make sure they run smoothly and don’t wobble too much.
If you’ve followed the steps correctly, there should be no issue and you’ll now have a working stack!
Some of the stacking kits have a pull-out plastic shelf, which is great for folding laundry as you take it out of the dryer or for holding items so you don’t have to juggle detergent and softener.
If your kit has one of these, then the bracket will need to sit slightly forward so that the shelf can be pulled out.
The universal stacking kits will fit pretty much any brand of appliance you can imagine and will also allow you to match different brands together, but it’s always best to inquire about brand specific brackets to ensure compatibility and safety.
Summary
You can stack your appliances on top of each other to save space and this can be done safely and securely using stacking kits.
Just make sure that when you do get round to doing it, you have someone to help you and never try to lift a large kitchen appliance by yourself.
Now you can enjoy all the space you’ve saved!
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